Excerpt from Moonlight Beach by Yurie Kiri, copyright 2019
Roy Vasquez parked his Cadillac convertible at the edge of
the beach, got out, slammed the door shut and walked towards the sound
of the crashing surf. As he walked he concentrated upon breathing in
all the natural scents of salt water, sea weed and the beach
environment. Suddenly he caught a scent of expensive perfume and he
looked around for the source. Roy smiled when he saw the young woman
walking alone at the water’s edge. How had she gotten there? His was
the only car parked along the deserted coast road. Maybe she was alone?
The
large flat screen TV over the back of the bar at the Rancho California
Inn was playing the early evening news showing an attractive young news
woman standing in front of a rugged California beach with waves crashing
on a rocky shore.
“This is Monica Jones, Channel 7
News at 5. We’re continuing our coverage on the string of brutal
murders plaguing our little community. Some people think that as many
as five victims, all women have been killed over the last six months by
the same person who left another battered body on Moonlight Beach just
last week. Like the others, there’s been no progress with the recent
victim, another young woman who is still unidentified…” The scene on
the TV screen quickly shifted from Monica’s carefully made up face to a
shot of a something lying on a deserted beach covered by a sheet and
then it switched to a drawing of a young woman’s face. “Anyone with any
information about the victim….”
“What?” Beverly said shocked, staring at the screen.
“There’s a serial killer in this neighborhood?” She put her drink down
on the bar and stared at the man sitting next to her. He was a local
she’d just met. “I never heard about that! I thought it was safe
here…”
“Hey! Jose!” the man shouted at the
bartender, a slender young Latino. “Turn that shit off! It’s
disturbing the lady! She’s from back east and doesn’t need to hear that
crap! Everyone knows Monica is full of shit! Remember that alien
abduction story? It went on for a whole week!”
“Sorry Mister Goldman,” the bartender said glancing over at the compact,
tough looking man with short cropped, curly brown hair. He switched
the TV off and looked back at Dicky Goldman and at the startled
attractive, dark-haired woman sitting next to Dicky. “Okay now? Or
shall I put on some sports?”
“I never watch the
local news,” Dicky said to the woman, he thought that her name was
Beverly but he wasn’t sure. “Monica always says such stupid shit. You
would have gotten a kick out of her alien story… Hey, you okay, baby?
Want another drink?” She looked frightened but he wanted to get her
drunk and up to bed in her room as quickly as possible.
“I’m fine,” Beverly said wishing that she’d never stopped at the
bar after checking in. She didn’t think that she’d go to that beach
either after seeing the news. “Why do you think Monica is wrong? What
happened out there?”
“She’s trying to turn a shark
attack into a murder,” Dicky said with a smirk. “What a bunch of
bullshit! Another drink?”
“No thanks, I’m feeling
a little jet-lagged,“ Beverly said thinking that sharks were just as
bad as human serial killers. “I think that I’ll go back to my room now.
Can I call you tomorrow after my meetings, when I’m free?” Dicky was
starting to creep her out and she was glad that she’d kept her room
number secret. She hoped that she could see more of Monica’s news
broadcast up in her room and a lot less of the local men, one of whom
could be a serial killer, if Monica was right.
“Sure baby,” Dicky said glaring at Jose, the bartender again. He blamed
the bartender for screwing up his chances with the attractive
out-of-towner. “You’ve got my number, right? Don’t worry about
Monica’s wild stories, she’s just trying to pump up her ratings.
Anyway, call me tomorrow when you’ve got more time. I’m going to be
tied up later on tonight…”
"Tell me again,” the young woman said. "I don't
understand what you mean...." She looked at her host, a smiling, but
intense and fit, brown-skinned man with a short black pony-tail. She
had just met him at Moonlight Beach where he’d introduced himself as Roy
and she hoped that he was rich. He drove a nice car, he certainly
lived in a rich area and he had a big house but he looked sort of weird
sitting on the floor shirtless and shoeless, just wearing a pair of
tight designer jeans.
"You want to have a real
psychic experience, don't you?" Roy Vasquez asked looking closely at the
young, brown-haired woman he’d picked up on the beach. "You said that
you did on the beach, didn't you... Fay?" He hoped that he got her name
right. He went through a lot of women and their stupid names like
Tammy-Fay or Mary-Jane all kind of ran together in his mind.
"Sure, what you told me before at the beach sounded cool and
trippy,” Fay said with a smile. "Nothing like I ever heard before....
but now that I'm here, you have to explain it to me all over again."
"Sure! What I do is based upon old Indian ways,” Roy said
with a knowing smile. "See this house and land?" He waved his hand at
view out the window of the rolling hillsides that separated his house
from the vacant neighbor’s house. He hoped they never sold it; he liked
the privacy.
"Yes, your place is beautiful,” Fay
said. She felt a little out of place however. She was barefooted and
still dressed for the beach. "And... this big house, it’s all yours?
You live here, all by yourself?” She hoped he wasn’t married. Meeting a
rich, single guy was her dream.
"Yes, but this
land, all of it used to be Indian land,” Roy said proudly. "The ancient
ones explored this land and discovered, then used the various hidden
power places! Under the right conditions, in their sacred spots, they
met powerful spiritual guides..."
"Really?" Fay
said. She was interested but she was also hungry. She had skipped
lunch and it was almost dinner time.
"Really,” Roy said. "Do you want to try it? Meet a spiritual guide? Or an ancient Indian soul?"
"Sure,” Fay said. "You know I do. That's why I let you
bring me here. I don’t usually go places with a stranger but I studied
American-Indian stuff in school. And I do know a little about their
religious practices... but didn't they have to wait for the right time
or something? You know, like a special moon rise?”
"Tonight’s the full moon, but it's always the right time in my house,”
Roy said with a grin. “You’re not from around here, are you? Where’d
you go to school?”
"Back east. Anyway, why's your
place so special?" Fay asked glancing around at Roy's decorations. His
house was filled with Indian artifacts that looked fit for a museum.
Maybe Roy was an Indian, she thought; he looked like one at times, but
she couldn't tell how old he was. Sometimes he looked old, and
sometimes he looked young, but he was certainly brown and strong
looking, and almost devoid of body hair. That was what had impressed
her when she met him at the beach. He had been wearing nothing but a
tight speedo-style swimsuit and his bare, brown body had rippled with
god-like power when she’d seen him walking towards her among the
deserted sand dunes. “Tell me why.”
"Because this
house was built, with solid adobe bricks, right on top of one of the
best of the old Indian power places,” Roy said with a confident smile.
"Power is always available here, you just have to be open to exploring
it..."
"Cool,” Fay said staring at a large stuffed
rattlesnake in a lighted glass cabinet. "Where is it? Your power
spot?”
"I'll show you in a moment,” Roy said.
"First you have to be prepared... you know, like we discussed on the
beach.”
"You mean take some magic mushrooms?" Fay
asked. "Sure, give me some. I'll do it with you.” She shook her head
affirmatively and smiled. She liked drugs.
"You ever do mushrooms before?" Roy asked looking into her innocent blue eyes.
"No, but I know it's a part of the Indian religious
experience,” Fay said smiling. "So, I want to try it. It’s a lot like
pot, isn’t it? I smoke pot.”
"Sort of,” Roy said.
He stood up and went into the kitchen. Young girls were so gullible
and trusting, he thought. Good thing she’d hitched a ride to the beach
alone, there’d been no one else to deal with when he’d scooped her up.
"Got anything to eat in there?" Fay called out. "Or drink?"
"Wine and fruit okay?" Roy asked loudly as he rummaged
around gathering up the supplies. He knew that if she was hungry, her
empty stomach would let the mushrooms act quicker. He carried a tray
back towards the young woman and found her still sitting cross-legged on
the floor.
“Fruit sounds good,” Fay said
watching Roy come back into the room with a tray balanced on one hand
like a waiter.
"Wine too?" he asked, looking at
her. She looked good enough to eat, he thought. She wore skimpy shorts
over a bikini and had tousled brown hair. Her firm young body was
sunburned in some places and pale in others.
"Wine is fine,” she said, giggling in anticipation.
"Good,” Roy said setting the tray down. He handed her a
shriveled-up piece of dried mushroom. "But take this first. Wash it
down with some wine." He poured wine into a glass and handed it to her.
"You taking one too?" she asked as she tossed the dried mushroom into her mouth and started chewing.
"I already did,” Roy lied, sipping wine and watching her.
“You need to catch up!” He saw that she had swallowed the mushroom and
chased it down with wine. He refilled her glass as she made a face at
the mushroom’s bitter taste.
"That was pretty nasty,” Fay said. "How long until it kicks in?"
"Not too long so don't worry,” Roy said smiling. He
picked up a piece of fruit and nibbled on it. "Those are good ones..."
"So, where's your Indian power place?" Fay asked. She
picked a piece of apple off the dish Roy had sat on the floor and
crunched upon it while watching him. She wondered what the mushrooms
would feel like but then she wondered when Roy had taken his piece. She
didn't recall seeing him eat one, but maybe he had done it in the
kitchen.
"Outside by the fire pit,” Roy said
waving his arm towards the back yard. "But let's wait until the moon
starts to rise before we invoke any power. That should make the spirits
more receptive to us, providing you do the right thing..."
"What kind of spirits are there?" Fay said excited. "And what
else do I have to do to meet them? I mean, I ate your mushroom, is
there anything else I need to do to get ready?”
"I'll help you,” Roy said expansively. "I'll be your guide, just do
exactly what I tell you and everything will be fine...." He smiled at
her.
"But what kind of spirits are they?" Fay asked while chewing noisily on another piece of sweet, tasty apple.
"Indian spirits of course. One in particular is the
powerful spirit of a departed Indian Shaman... killed on this very spot
by a snake,” Roy said with a wide grin pointing at the floor. He
watched Fay’s blue eyes widen in surprise and he smiled broader.
Actually, the Shaman he’d described had been killed outside but he
wanted to impress Fay. Her expressive face had a glow of anticipation.
"A snake?" Fay asked. "I didn't think that a powerful
Shaman could be killed by a snake. He must not have been that
strong..."
"It wasn't a he,” Roy said, looking
into Fay’s eyes. "According to legend this powerful Shaman was a woman.
You know, Indian women could be even more powerful witches than men in
those days. Anyway, one day, this woman was walking through the grass
when the snake bit her. No matter what she did, she couldn't shake that
snake off and she couldn't get the poison out."
"It probably wasn't a snake. Maybe it was another Shaman or a medicine
man who wanted to kill her,” Fay said. "That's the kind of stories I’ve
studied in college..."
"I'm sure it was,” Roy
said shaking his head affirmatively. "Anyway, after the snake killed
her, she vanished.... turned into dust right," he pointed towards the
outdoor fire pit like he knew exactly where it had happened. "Out
there."
"Wow..." Fay said slowly. She suddenly
felt rather weird and detached. Maybe it was the wine on an empty
stomach or maybe it was the mushroom kicking in, she couldn't tell
which.
"Really wow?" Roy said amused by the look
on Fay's innocent, expressive face. She looked dazed yet happy. In a
little while he could do anything he wanted with her. But first he
wanted to use her to contact that departed spirit. He had an ancient
score to settle with that old witch and the spring full moon was the
perfect time.
